Media sharing community

ABSTRACT

The present invention enables a user to share his/her listening experience selectively with others without sharing headphones and without disturbing others who do not want to listen. In a preferred embodiment, a first listener can accomplish this by storing in a Portable Electronic Device or similar device a library of listening experiences, listening to one of the listening experiences, and while listening to that one listening experience streaming the one listening experience to at least one other Portable Electronic Device or similar device. A second listener at the other Portable Electronic Device can then listen to the same listening experience as the first listener at the same time. It is expected that the listening experiences will typically be songs or other music but the invention may be practiced with any type of audio content. The first listener may also create a playlist of the listening experiences in the library and make the playlist available to others. Others may use the playlist to access the library and listen to one or more listening experiences stored in the library. Also, utilizing the same interface and communication methodologies as described above, the technology platform detailed in this application can be used for commercial purposes to stream location based content, audio and otherwise, to a connected network of Portable Electronic Devices. Commercial uses of this functionality include providing commercial establishments with the ability to create synchronous (users come into a stream at the exact point that it is being streamed in real time) and or asynchronous (users can select and start a transmission from the beginning) featured channels (location based) where they can stream any self created or otherwise authorized content to other Portable Electronic Devices in their range.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/558,861, filed Sep. 3, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/806,077, filed Nov. 7, 2017, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/998,731, filed Feb.8, 2016, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/018,389, filed Feb. 8,2016, both of which are continuations of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/135,687, filed Jul. 13, 2011, which application claims thebenefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61,364,375,filed Jul. 14, 2010, U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No.61/450,863, filed Mar. 9, 2011, and U.S. provisional patent applicationSer. No. 61/516,287, filed Mar. 31, 2011, each of which applications isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

REFERENCE TO COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX

Submitted herewith are two identical copies (Copy 1 and Copy 2) of acompact disc (Disc 1) containing computer program listings that arehereby incorporated by reference in their entirety in the presentapplication. Identification of the files on Disc 1, their sizes andtheir dates of last modification are set forth in Exhibit 1 of theTransmittal Letter that accompanies Disc 1.

BACKGROUND

This relates to media sharing communities and to methods, apparatus andsoftware for supporting such communities. The invention is described indetail in the context of communities for sharing audio information suchas music using Portable Electronic Devices and the like; but theinvention may also be practiced to share other information and/or usingother modalities. The sharing of location based audio streams and orother digital files can be used for both personal and commercialpurposes using the described methods, apparatus and software networksfor supporting such functionalities.

Portable Electronic Devices such as the iPhone and the Android and otherconsumer electronic products such as iPod touches and iPads are widelyused to listen to music that is stored in the listener's PortableElectronic Device or other product and/or as it is streamed from asource such as the iTunes store. We will refer to these and all otherdevices capable of supporting our functionality as Portable ElectronicDevices. Often, the listener uses a set of headphones to listen to themusic. If the listener desires to share his/her listening experience,choices are limited. The use of speakers probably is not feasiblebecause the headphones are likely being used because the listener is ina public place where others do not want to listen to the music. Andsharing the headphones at best creates an awkward situation in which twolisteners are tethered together by the signal leads to the headphones.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, the present invention enables a user to share his/herlistening experience selectively with others without sharing headphonesand without disturbing others who do not want to listen.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a first listener canaccomplish this by storing in a Portable Electronic Device a library oflistening experiences, listening to one of the listening experiences,and while listening to that one listening experience streaming saidlistening experience to at least one other Portable Electronic Device. Asecond listener at the other Portable Electronic Device can then listento the same listening experience as the first listener at the same time.It is expected that the listening experiences will typically be songs orother music but the invention may be practiced with any type of audiocontent.

Numerous variations may be practiced in the preferred embodiment. Forexample, the first listener may create a playlist of the listeningexperiences in the library and make the playlist available to others.Others may use the playlist to access the library and listen to one ormore listening experiences stored in the library and identified by theplaylist.

Utilizing the same interface and communication methodologies asdescribed herein, the technology platform can be used for commercialpurposes to stream location based content, audio and otherwise, to aconnected network of Portable Electronic Devices. Commercial uses ofthis functionality include providing commercial establishments with theability to create a featured channel (location based) where they canstream any self created or otherwise authorized content to otherPortable Electronic Devices in their range.

Commercial applications of said invention fall into two core categories:situations where users want to be able to start a transmission from theintended beginning of the file and situations where a user would like tocome into a transmission at the exact point where the live transmissionis being streamed in real time. Examples of the former include using thetechnology platform in a museum where a user would like to hear theaudio description of an exhibit from the beginning, or going on awalking tour of a city and hearing a description of the landmark thatthey are near. Those functionalities utilize our asynchronous streamingtechnology described in greater detail below. Examples of the laterinclude hearing the live audio feed of a TV station at a fitness clubdirectly on a user's Portable Electronic Device, hearing the live (realtime) audio of a Broadway play or movie (location based) in real time,hearing a featured audio channel at a department store or local coffeeshop, or hearing the live (real time) audio of a lecture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will beapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the followingdetailed description in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a typical Portable Electronic Device that can be used inthe practice of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting several components of a PortableElectronic Device that may be used in the practice of the invention;

FIG. 3 depicts a user interface for use in practicing the invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 5A-5O depict illustrative user interfaces in the practice of anillustrative embodiment of the invention; and

Throughout FIGS. 3, 4 and 5A-5O, the same numbers are used to representthe same or similar components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts the front side of a typical Portable Electronic Device100 that may be used in the practice of the invention. The PortableElectronic Device includes a touch sensitive display screen (or “touchscreen”) 110 mounted in a case 150. In the edge of the case at one endare a first microphone 160, a headphone jack 165 and an on/off switch170. In the edge of the case at the opposite end are a second microphone180 and a speaker 185. Keystrokes may be input to the PortableElectronic Device through a keyboard displayed on the touch screen andmessages may be displayed on the touch screen.

Various software applications (or Apps) come pre-loaded in some PortableElectronic Devices and additional Apps may be downloaded to the PortableElectronic Device from a variety of sources. In the case of PortableElectronic Devices sold by Apple, Inc such as the iPhone and otherproducts such as iPod Touches and iPads, Apps may be obtained fromApple's iTunes Store. In one or more modes of operation, iconsrepresenting the Apps that are loaded in the Portable Electronic Devicecan be displayed on touch screen 110; and the software application canbe activated by touching the appropriate icon. For purposes ofillustration, FIG. 1 depicts an icon 120 that is used to obtain localweather information and an icon 130 labeled “MyStream” that is used toactivate the software of the present invention. As will be appreciated,icon 130 is only illustrative of one way to activate the software. Otherways such as keyboard entries may also be used; and other designs andlabeling may be used on the icon.

As is well known, Portable Electronic Devices have a wide range ofcapabilities. Some of these capabilities are depicted in the blockdiagram of FIG. 2. Within case 150 are one or more computer processors210, a memory 220, a memory controller, 230 and a peripherals interface240 which are interconnected by a communications bus 250. Theperipherals interface connects to several components including radiofrequency (RF) circuitry 260, audio circuitry 262, and an input/output(I/O) system 264 that includes touch screen 150. Memory 220 may includehigh speed random access memory and may also include flash memory andone or more magnetic disk drive storage devices. Memory 220 stores theoperating system for the Portable Electronic Device, various modules tocontrol certain of its operations, and various software applicationsthat are either pre-loaded or installed by the Portable ElectronicDevice's user, Some of these are depicted in FIG. 2. Of particular note,memory 220 includes an audio library. A more extensive listing ofillustrative software is set forth in FIGS. 1A and 1B of U.S. Pat. No.7,479,949, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Portable Electronic Devices have extensive communication capabilityusing an antenna secured within the case. Of particular note, PortableElectronic Devices can connect to one or more wireless telephonenetworks. They may also connect to Bluetooth® transceivers usingBluetooth® technology; and they may also connect with other transceiversusing Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi)(e.g., 808.11 protocols such as IEEE802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, and/or IEEE 802.11n). Furtherinformation about typical Portable Electronic Device communicationcapabilities is found in the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 7,479,949.See, for example, FIGS. 1A and 1B and Col. 10, line 53 to Col. 11, line20.

As described above, in one embodiment, software for practicing theinvention is made available as a software application (or App) and canbe downloaded by a user to his/her Portable Electronic Device from asource such as the iTunes Store. In one embodiment, when such softwareis installed in the user's Portable Electronic Device an iconrepresenting that software such as icon 130 is made available fordisplay on touch screen 110 along with icons representing other Appsstored in the same Portable Electronic Device. A user may activate thesoftware of the present invention by touching icon 130. Upon doing so, adisplay 310 such as that depicted in FIG. 5G appears on touch screen110.

FIG. 3 depicts the general format of an illustrative embodiment of theuser interface used in the practice of the invention. Specific instancesof the user interface are depicted in FIGS. 5A-5O. The interfaceincludes an upper margin 310, an intermediate space 330 and a lowermargin 350. Intermediate space 330 is used for the display of graphicinformation, text and messages as well as certain soft keys as describedmore fully below. Illustratively, immediately above the upper margin isa display line 380 that indicates the name of the wireless serviceprovider and the time. The upper margin includes at 315 the name of theApp, which illustratively is myStream, and one or more soft keys 320,325 that may be used as described below to perform functions such asadding or deleting items identified in intermediate space 330. Lowermargin 350 contains four softkeys 360, 365, 370, and 375 that in thepresent example are labeled MyStream, Streamers, MyPlaylist andMyProfile, respectively. MyStream key 360 is used to access a homescreen such as that illustrated in FIGS. 5H and 5I below; Streamers key365 is used to provide a listing of users of the MyStream App within thenetwork as illustrated in FIGS. 5I-5K below; MyPlaylist key 370 displaysthe MyPlaylist screen such as that illustrated in FIG. 5F below; and theMyProfile key 375 displays user settings such as those illustrated inFIGS. 5N and 5O below.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting the overall operation of an illustrativeembodiment of the invention. Illustratively, the software is madeavailable for purchase and download from a source such as the iTunesStore as described above. Upon downloading the software, the user isinvited by a screen displayed on the touch screen 110 to begin theprocess as at step 420 of creating a playlist of listening experiencesstored in his/her audio library in his/her Portable Electronic Device.At this point, the user is likely to complete a profile at step 430 thatsets options on access to the listening experiences identified inMyPlaylist as well as methods of communication such as Bluetooth® andavailability of streaming. If the user approves of access to his/herlistening experiences, MyPlaylist is made available at step 440 toeveryone connected to the same communication network.

When a user wants to listen to one of the listening experiencesidentified in a MyPlaylist he/she created, he/she selects thatexperience from the list as at step 450. At step 460, the selectedlistening experience is read from memory in the Portable ElectronicDevice in the form of electromagnetic signals and these signals areconverted by the audio circuitry of the Portable Electronic Device toaudio signals that are supplied to the user through the speaker of thePortable Electronic Device or through headphones connected to theheadphone jack of the Portable Electronic Device. The electromagneticsignals are also transmitted to others from an appropriate PortableElectronic Device transmitter if the user had indicated a willingness toshare his/her listening experience in the profile completed at step 430.Accordingly, in this case, anyone connected to the same communicationnetwork can listen to the same listening experience at step 470 bytouching the Streamers Tab 365 on his/her Portable Electronic Device andthen selecting the streamer who is playing that listening experience. Ina preferred embodiment of the invention, the listening experiences aresynchronized by providing the same electromagnetic signal to alllisteners at the same time so that everyone is listening to the sameexperience at substantially the same point in time. As a result, alistener will ordinarily not hear the entire listening experience whenhe/she first begins listening because he/she will probably access thelistening experience mid-file. He/she will only hear that portion of thelistening experience that remains to be streamed at the time thelistener selects that listening experience. However, after the initialconnection is made, it is likely that users will be able to hear entirestreamed listening experiences from the beginning since they havealready made the connection to the other listener's device andsubsequent streamed experiences will not have to start mid transmission.

In a preferred embodiment, each listener to a streaming listeningexperience is offered an opportunity at step 475 to purchase a copy ofthe listening experience from the iTunes store or some other source.Advantageously, a listener can initiate such a purchase by touching a“BUY” soft key on the listener's Portable Electronic Device.

Alternatively, at step 480, someone may select from MyPlaylist adifferent listening experience from that being listened to by the firstuser. In that case, the different listening experience is provided atstep 490 ordinarily starting with the beginning of the experience. Insome instances, it may be desirable to limit the time duration of thelistening experience that is provided to avoid copyright issues. In apreferred embodiment, each listener is offered an opportunity at step495 to purchase a copy of the listening experience from the iTunes storeor some other source. Advantageously, a listener can initiate such apurchase by touching a “BUY” soft key on the listener's PortableElectronic Device.

FIGS. 5A-5O are a set of screenshots that depict various stages in theoperation of the MyStream App as it is applied to the illustrativeexample of managing and playing a collection of music.

At the time the MyStream App is obtained from a source such as theiTunes Store, the user has not had the opportunity to establish his/herplaylist or profile. Accordingly, these are the first order of business.Upon touching the MyStream icon 130 on touch screen 110, the user ispresented with the main screen depicted in FIGS. 5G and 5H. In thebottom margin 350 of FIGS. 5G and 5H are the MyStream, Streamers,MyPlaylist and MyProfile keys 360, 365, 370 and 375.

Upon first touching the MyPlaylist soft key 360, a screen 510 such asthat of FIG. 5A is presented on touchscreen 110. Screen 510 includes inupper margin 310 soft keys 511, 512 and 513 which are labeled Add Media,Playing and Edit, respectively, and in lower margin 350 the MyStream,Streamers, MyPlaylist and My Profile soft keys 360, 365, 370, 375. Upontouching the MyPlaylist soft key again, a screen 515 such as that ofFIG. 5B is presented on touchscreen 110. This screen provides a list ofthe various categories of listening experiences that are available inthe audio library of the Portable Electronic Device. Screen 515 alsoprovides soft keys 516, 517 and 518 labeled Select All, Cancel and Save,respectively.

To determine what is in any of these categories, the user touches thatcategory on touch screen 110. If the number of entries in the audiolibrary is relatively small, the user can select them all by touchingSelect All key 516. If the number of entries in the audio library isrelatively large, some of the categories may be further sub-divided. Forexample, the Artists category may be sub-divided by the names of theindividual artists.

As a result of this selection process, a list 520 such as that of FIG.5C is ultimately displayed on touch screen 110. This list includes thenames 521 of individual songs, a checkmark 522 indicating theselected/not selected status of the songs, and soft keys 523, 524, 525,526, labeled Back, Select All, Cancel, and Save, respectively. Songs maybe selected for the user's playlist by touching Select All soft key 524or the name of the individual song. Selected songs are indicated by afilled in checkmark 522. Songs may be deselected by touching the name orthe checkmark of the song to be deselected.

When the selection process is complete, the user touches Save soft key526. At this point the selected songs are mapped into a MyStreamMyPlaylist; and a list of those songs is generated. A list 530 ofselected songs such as that depicted in FIG. 5D is then displayed ontouch screen 110. Also presented with list 530 are soft keys 531, 532and 533, labeled Add Media, Playing and Edit, respectively, and theMyStream, Streamers, MyPlaylist and MyProfile soft keys 360, 365, 370and 375. The soft keys allow the user to play selections from MyPlaylistand to edit MyPlaylist. To play a selection, the user touches Playingsoft key 532 and then touches the name of the song. To add a song, theuser touches Add Media soft key 531. This returns the user to the screenof FIG. 5C where the selection process can be resumed. To edit the list,the user touches Edit soft key 534.

Touching Edit softkey 534 presents the user with screen 535 of FIG. 5Ewhich displays the names of the songs on MyPlaylist along with a symbol536 and soft keys 537, 538 and 539 that are labeled Delete All, Playingand Done, respectively. The entire MyPlaylist can be deleted by touchingDelete All soft key 537. The order of songs in the list can be changedby touching symbol 536 alongside the name of any song and dragging thesymbol to any other spot on the list and then releasing it. When theuser is satisfied with the order of the songs, he/she can then touchDone soft key 539.

The display on touch screen 110 then becomes a list of selected audiofiles showing artist name, song name, album name and length of song asdepicted in FIG. 5F. The screen also includes the MyStream, Streamers,MyPlaylist, and MyProfile soft keys 360. 365, 370, 375. This same screenis also presented to the user anytime the user touches the MyStream icon130 after MyPlaylist has been created.

FIGS. 5G and 5H depict the main screen. The main screen may be accessedfrom any screen that displays a MyStream soft key 360 by touching thatkey. The main screen may also be accessed by touching icon 130 on touchscreen 110 before MyPlaylist is created. In the bottom margin of FIGS.5G and 5H are the MyStream, Streamers, MyPlaylist and MyProfile softkeys 360, 365, 370, 375. In the intermediate portion are a logo thatidentifies the software program and two soft keys 541 and 542. Soft key541 controls whether the contents of MyPlaylist are made asynchronouslyavailable to others so that a third party can select and listen to alistening experience identified on a user's MyPlaylist even though theuser is not listening to it. Soft key 542 controls whether streaming isenabled so that a listening experience then being listened to be a useris also made available by streaming to others. As shown in FIG. 5G,MyPlaylist can be accessed asynchronously (key 541) and a listeningexperience can be shared with others by streaming (key 542). Touchingeither soft key toggles its state. Thus, touching soft key 542 disablesstreaming and changes the label on the key to that shown in FIG. 5H.Touching soft key 542 in FIG. 5H re-enables streaming and changes thelabel on the key back to the label in FIG. 5G. Soft key 541 operates thesame way in enabling asynchronous access to MyPlaylist. Optionally, oneor more advertisements 543 may also be displayed on the main screen.

FIGS. 5I-5M depict operation of the streaming function. These screensprovide a listing of everyone who is connected to the network regardlessof whether they are currently streaming a listening experience to thenetwork. If a song is being streamed, the song title, artist and albumtitle are shown in the display area as is the case for iPhone 4 in FIG.4I and as is the case for both streamers in FIG. 4J. Others connected tothe network but not actively listening will only be identified. Theselistings may be accessed from any screen that displays Streamers softkey 365 by touching that key. In the bottom margin 350 of FIGS. 5I-5Lare the MyStream, Streamers, MyPlaylist and MyProfile soft keys 360,365, 370, 375. Optionally, one or more advertisements (not shown) may beincluded in the intermediate portion 330. FIGS. 5I-5M also depict theuser interface in which commercial content will be visible and featured.Element 554 depicts the button that allows a user to determine fileselection, including starting a chosen file at the beginning of arequest from a listening user. In its current depiction it is shown as abutton labeled “Access My Playlist” which is supported by ourasynchronous streaming technology. It can be utilized for commercialuses such as in a museum where a user would like to hear the audiodescription of an exhibit from the beginning, or for a walking tour of acity where a user would like to hear a description of a landmark thathe/she is near. Element 550 depicts the button that allows a user toaccess the live (real time) transmission of commercial content. Thiscommercial use is in addition to its functionality as a personal musicsharing tool described below since both functionalities operateutilizing the same technological methodologies. Such commercial usesinclude hearing the live audio feed of a TV station at a fitness clubdirectly on a user's Portable Electronic Device or a featured audiochannel at that fitness club location, hearing the live (real time)audio of a Broadway play or movie (location based), or hearing the live(real time) audio of a lecture. The following description of theinvention will only depict the technology platform in terms of its useas a personal, location based, audio (primarily music) streamingapplication, since its commercial uses (described above) follow the samelogical flow (and utilize the same technological communicationmethodologies and user interface) as described below except instead ofcommercial content being listed simply as another user's “Playlist” or“Live Stream” it is listed as a featured stream (within the “Streamers”tab shown as element 365) with unique content available from its “LiveStream” or in its “Playlist” tab.

Touching the identification of a particular streamer as displayed inFIG. 5I or 5J results in the display as depicted in FIG. 5K of theselected streamer's profile and soft keys 550, 552. Soft keys 550, 552provide for connection to a listening experience being streamed and thestreamer's playlist, respectively. If someone who is not activelylistening is selected, his/her profile will be shown as depicted in FIG.5L along with a soft key 554, for accessing his/her playlist.

If a new listener touches a soft key 550 that provides a connection to alistening experience then being streamed, the new listener's PortableElectronic Device connects to the streaming signal; and the listeningexperience begins for the new listener at whatever point the streamingsignal has reached. Once one listening experience has finished, the nextlistening experience on the streamer's playlist will start. At the sametime, the touch screen will provide a graphic such as an album cover orthe dust jacket of an audio book related to the listening experience.One such example is shown in FIG. 5M. Information such a time elapsed,length of the selection and play list count is also displayed. Start,stop, back and volume controls are also displayed as soft keys 542, 543,544 and 545, respectively.

FIGS. 5N and 5O depict the MyProfile screens. In the bottom margin 350of FIGS. 5N and 5O are the MyStream, Streamers, MyPlaylist and MyProfilesoft keys 360, 365, 370, 375. In the intermediate portion 330 are ON/OFFsoft keys 561, 562, 563 that allow the user to control access to his/herplaylist, and to enable streaming and Bluetooth®. Each switch is atoggle. Touching a switch that bears the label ON will disable thefunction controlled by the switch and change the label on the switch toOFF; and touching a switch that bears the label OFF will enable thefunction controlled by that switch and change the label to ON.

Numerous variations may be practiced in the embodiments depicted above.For example, the invention may be practiced with any form of listeningexperience. While music selections are likely to be most popular, thelistening experiences may include audio books, drama, lectures and otherinstructional material, commentary, descriptions of sports events, andmost of the experiences that have attracted radio audiences for years.The invention also makes it possible to reach selected groups of peoplewith distinctive listening content in circumstances where thedistinctive contents might otherwise have “drowned” each other out. Forexample, different streams of music might be provided to differentlisteners at a gym or other public assembly. Different shoppinginformation might be provided to different shoppers in a departmentstore or mall. Different instructions might be given to differentstudents assembled in a common meeting room. Numerous other exampleswill be evident in view of the foregoing.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, numerous othervariations may be practiced within the spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A first network communication apparatuscomprising: a first transmitter; a first receiver; a non-transitorymemory, wherein a first set of data is stored in non-transitory memory;and one or more processors coupled to the non-transitory memory; whereinsoftware stored in the non-transitory memory causes the one or moreprocessors to: generate from the first set of data a first signal;transmit the first signal from the first transmitter; receive a secondsignal by the first receiver from a second network communicationapparatus, wherein prior to receiving the second signal, no wirelessconnection had been established between the first network communicationapparatus and the second network communication apparatus; upon receivingthe second signal and without any user input to the first networkcommunication apparatus after the second signal is received, establish afirst wireless connection between the first network communicationapparatus and the second network communication apparatus.
 2. The firstnetwork communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software storedin the non-transitory memory further causes the one or more processorsto receive a second set of data from the second network communicationapparatus without any user input to the first network communicationapparatus after the second signal is received by the first networkcommunication apparatus.
 3. The first network communication apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the first receiver is configured to receive a Bluetoothsignal.
 4. The first network communication apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe first receiver is configured to receive a Wi-Fi signal.
 5. The firstnetwork communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the software storedin the non-transitory memory further causes the one or more processorsto: receive a third signal by the first receiver from a third networkcommunication apparatus, wherein prior to receiving the third signal, nowireless connection had been established between the first networkcommunication apparatus and the third network communication apparatus;upon receiving the third signal, while the first wireless connection isactive, and without any user input to the first network communicationapparatus after the third signal is received, establish a secondwireless connection between the first network communication apparatusand the third network communication apparatus.
 6. The first networkcommunication apparatus of claim 5, wherein the software stored in thenon-transitory memory further causes the one or more processors toreceive a third set of data from the third network communicationapparatus without any user input to the first network communicationapparatus after the third signal is received by the first networkcommunication apparatus.
 7. The first network communication apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the first network communication apparatus furthercomprises a second transmitter and a second receiver, and the softwarestored in the non-transitory memory further causes the one or moreprocessors to: transmit a third signal from the second transmitter;receive a fourth signal by the second receiver from a third networkcommunication apparatus, wherein prior to receiving the third signal, nowireless connection had been established between the first networkcommunication apparatus and the third network communication apparatus;upon receiving the fourth signal, while the first wireless connection isactive, and without any user input to the first network communicationapparatus after the fourth signal is received, establish a secondwireless connection between the first network communication apparatusand the third network communication apparatus.
 8. The first networkcommunication apparatus of claim 7, wherein the software stored in thenon-transitory memory further causes the one or more processors toreceive a third set of data from the third network communicationapparatus without any user input to the first network communicationapparatus after the fourth signal is received by the first networkcommunication apparatus.
 9. The first network communication apparatus ofclaim 7, wherein the first receiver is configured to receive a Bluetoothsignal.
 10. The first network communication apparatus of claim 9,wherein the second receiver is configured to receive a Wi-Fi signal. 11.A method of operating a first device having a first transmitter; a firstreceiver; a non-transitory memory, and one or more processors coupled tothe non-transitory memory, comprising: generating from the first set ofdata a first signal; transmitting the first signal from the firsttransmitter; receiving a second signal by the first receiver from asecond device, wherein prior to receiving the second signal, no wirelessconnection had been established between the first device and the seconddevice; upon receiving the second signal and without any user input tothe first device after the second signal is received, establishing afirst wireless connection between the first device and the seconddevice.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving asecond set of data from the second device without any user input to thefirst device after the second signal is received by the first device.13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first receiver is configured toreceive a Bluetooth signal.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein thefirst receiver is configured to receive a W-Fi signal.
 15. The method ofclaim 11, further comprising: receiving a third signal by the firstreceiver from a third device, wherein prior to receiving the thirdsignal, no wireless connection had been established between the firstdevice and the third device; upon receiving the third signal, while thefirst wireless connection is active, and without any user input to thefirst device after the third signal is received, establishing a secondwireless connection between the first device and the third device. 16.The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving a third set of datafrom the third device without any user input to the first device afterthe third signal is received by the first device.
 17. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the first device further comprises a secondtransmitter and a second receiver, said method further comprising:transmitting a third signal from the second transmitter; receiving afourth signal by the second receiver from a third device, wherein priorto receiving the third signal, no wireless connection had beenestablished between the first device and the third device; uponreceiving the fourth signal, while the first wireless connection isactive, and without any user input to the first device after the fourthsignal is received, establish a second wireless connection between thefirst device and the third device.
 18. The method of claim 17, furthercomprising receiving a third set of data from the third device withoutany user input to the first device after the fourth signal is receivedby the first device.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the firstreceiver is configured to receive a Bluetooth signal.
 20. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the second receiver is configured to receive a Wi-Fisignal.
 21. A communication network comprising: a first networkcommunication device including a first transmitter, a first receiver, afirst non-transitory memory, and one or more processors coupled to thefirst non-transitory memory; a second network communication deviceincluding a second transmitter, a second receiver, a secondnon-transitory memory, and one or more processors coupled to the secondnon-transitory memory; wherein software stored in the firstnon-transitory memory causes the one or more processors of the firstnetwork communication device to transmit a first signal from the firsttransmitter at a first time, wherein prior to the first time, nowireless connection had been established between the first networkcommunication device and the second network communication device;wherein, the first signal is received by the second receiver of thesecond network communication device; wherein, upon receipt of the firstsignal by the second receiver, software stored in the secondnon-transitory memory causes the one or more processors of the secondnetwork communication device to transmit a second signal from the secondtransmitter to the first receiver; wherein, upon receipt of the secondsignal by the first receiver, a first wireless connection is establishedbetween the first network communication device and the second networkcommunication device without any user input to the first networkcommunication device after the first time.
 22. The communication networkof claim 21, wherein said software stored in the first non-transitorymemory further causes the one or more processors coupled to the firstnon-transitory memory to receive a first set of data from the secondnetwork communication device without any user input to the first networkcommunication device after the second signal is received by the firstnetwork communication device.
 23. The communication network of claim 21,wherein the first receiver is configured to receive a Bluetooth signal.24. The communication network of claim 21, wherein the first receiver isconfigured to receive a Wi-Fi signal.
 25. The communication network ofclaim 21, further comprising: a third network communication deviceincluding a third transmitter, a third receiver, a third non-transitorymemory, and one or more processors coupled to the third non-transitorymemory; wherein, the first signal is received by the third receiver ofthe third network communication device; wherein prior to the first time,no wireless connection had been established between the first networkcommunication device and the second network communication device;wherein, upon receipt of the first signal by the third receiver,software stored in the third non-transitory memory causes the one ormore processors of the third network communication device to transmit athird signal from the third transmitter to the first receiver; wherein,upon receipt of the third signal by the first receiver, while the firstwireless connection is active, a second wireless connection isestablished between the first network communication device and the thirdnetwork communication device without any user input to the first networkcommunication device after the first time.
 26. The communication networkof claim 25, wherein the software stored in the first non-transitorymemory further causes the one or more processors coupled to the firstnon-transitory memory to receive a first set of data from the thirdnetwork communication device without any user input to the first networkcommunication device after the third signal is received by the firstnetwork communication device.
 27. The communication network of claim 21,further comprising: a third network communication device including athird transmitter, a third receiver, a third non-transitory memory, andone or more processors coupled to the third non-transitory memory;wherein the first network communication device further comprises afourth transmitter and a fourth receiver, and the software stored in thefirst non-transitory memory further causes the one or more processorscoupled to the first non-transitory memory to transmit a third signalfrom the fourth transmitter at a second time; wherein, the third signalis received by the third receiver of the third network communicationdevice; wherein prior to the second time, no wireless connection hadbeen established between the first network communication device and thethird network communication device; wherein, upon receipt of the thirdsignal by the third receiver, software stored in the thirdnon-transitory memory causes the one or more processors of the thirdnetwork communication device to transmit a fourth signal from the thirdtransmitter to the first receiver; wherein, upon receipt of the fourthsignal by the first receiver, while the first wireless connection isactive, a second wireless connection is established between the firstnetwork communication device and the third network communication devicewithout any user input to the first network communication device afterthe first time.
 28. The communication network of claim 27, wherein thesoftware stored in the first non-transitory memory further causes theone or more processors coupled to the first non-transitory memory toreceive a first set of data from the third network communication devicewithout any user input to the first network communication device afterthe third signal is received by the first network communication device.29. The communication network of claim 27, wherein the third receiver isconfigured to receive a Bluetooth signal.
 30. The communication networkof claim 29, wherein the third receiver is configured to receive a Wi-Fisignal.
 31. The communication network of claim 27, wherein the thirdreceiver is configured to receive a Wi-Fi signal.
 32. A method ofoperating a digital network comprising a plurality of devices, eachdevice including a first transmitter, a second transmitter a firstreceiver, a second receiver a non-transitory memory, and one or moreprocessors couples to the non-transitory memory, the method comprising:transmitting a first signal from the first transmitter of the firstdevice; upon receiving the first signal from the first device by thefirst receiver of the second device, transmitting a second signal fromthe first transmitter of the second device to the first device;receiving by the first receiver of the first device the second signalfrom the second device, wherein prior to receiving the second signal, nowireless connection had been established between the first device andthe second device; upon receiving the second signal by the firstreceiver of the first device, and without any user input to the firstdevice after the second signal is received, establishing a firstwireless connection between the first device and the second device. 33.The method of claim 32, further comprising receiving by the firstreceiver of the first device a first set of data from the second devicewithout any user input to the first device after the second signal isreceived by the first device.
 34. The method of claim 32, wherein thefirst receiver of the first device is configured to receive a Bluetoothsignal.
 35. The method of claim 32, wherein the first receiver of thefirst device is configured to receive a Wi-Fi signal.
 36. The method ofclaim 32, further comprising: upon receiving the first signal from thefirst device by the first receiver of the third device, transmitting athird signal from the first transmitter of the third device to the firstdevice; receiving by the first receiver of the first device the thirdsignal from the third device, wherein prior to receiving the thirdsignal, no wireless connection had been established between the firstdevice and the third device; upon receiving the third signal by thefirst receiver of the first device, while the first wireless connectionis active, and without any user input to the first device after thethird signal is received, establishing a second wireless connectionbetween the first device and the second device.
 37. The method of claim36, further comprising receiving by the first receiver of the firstdevice a first set of data from the third device without any user inputto the first device after the third signal is received by the firstdevice.
 38. The method of claim 32, further comprising: transmitting athird signal from the second transmitter of the first device; uponreceiving the third signal from the first device by the first receiverof the third device, transmitting a fourth signal from the firsttransmitter of the third device to the first device; receiving by thesecond receiver of the first device the fourth signal from the thirddevice, wherein prior to receiving the fourth signal, no wirelessconnection had been established between the first device and the thirddevice; upon receiving the third signal by the second receiver of thefirst device, while the first wireless connection is active, and withoutany user input to the first device after the fourth signal is received,establishing a second wireless connection between the first device andthe third device.
 39. The method of claim 38, further comprisingreceiving a first set of data from the third device without any userinput to the first device after the fourth signal is received by thefirst device.
 40. The method of claim 38, wherein the first receiver ofthe first device is configured to receive a Bluetooth signal.
 41. Themethod of claim 38, wherein the first receiver of the first device isconfigured to receive a Wi-Fi signal.
 42. The method of claim 41,wherein the second receiver of the first device is configured to receivea Bluetooth signal.